Durkheim: Built social theory based on Comte, but he was more important. Study focus on historical transformation from primitive mechanical societies to more modern organic societies. They differ in source of solidarity (what holds them together). Key: Division of labor. 1. Mechanical solidarity: Virtually everyone does the same things (fruit-gathering and animal-hunting). Society held together by the fact that there is little division of labor.2. Organic solidarity: Division of labor has occurred and people perform increasingly specialized tasks. Solidarity here comes from differences, as people need the contributions of other people to function and survive. (Dentist, clothing, food, children raising). What causes the change between mechanical and organic solidarity? Durkheim says it is the increase in the dynamic density. Dynamic density: The number of people and the frequency of interaction. An increase in dynamic density leads to transformation from mechanical to organic solidarity.1. Components of dynamic density: Number of people in society. Increase in the amount of interaction that takes place among the greater number of people in society. When an increasingly large number of people interact with greater frequency with one another, dynamic density is likely to increase to the point that a transformation from mechanical t2. Why does dynamic density lead to division of labor? As everyone competes for everything, resources become scarce, and there is great disorder and conflict. As people are responsible for specialized things, there is less competition, less conflict, more harmony. There will be more of everything for a population with an expanded division of labor. Collective conscience: The ideas shared by the members of a collectivity such as a group, tribe, or a society. Only the entire collection of individuals possesses and knows all ideas. Transition from mechanical to organic solidarity comes with a drastic change in collective conscience. 1. In mechanical solidarity: Collective conscience affects everyone and is of great significance. Ideas are very powerful and people are likely to act in accord with them. Rigid and tend to be associated with religion. 2. In organic solidarity: Fewer people are affected by the collective conscience. Some are able to evade it partially or completely. People dont care about it so deeply. Collective conscience is far weaker and does not exercise nearly as much control in them. It is more flexible, adaptable, less connected with religion. Repressive Law: Characteristic of mechanical society. Law in which offenders are likely to be severely punished for any action that is seen as an offense against the collective conscience by the community. Restitutive Law: Characteristic of organic solidarity and its weakened collective conscience. Law offenders are likely to be asked to simply comply with the law or to repay those who have been harmed by their actions. Blasphemy, for example, is likely to go unnoticed and unpunished in modern societies. Anomie: Lack of norms or inability of the social structure to provide certain individuals the necessary things to accomplish the goals of society. As in modern societies there is much freedom, individuals do not know what is expected from them and go in mad pursuit of everything and anything, which can lead to anomic suicide. 1. Anomic suicide: Mad pursuit of something when given freedom. When pursuit is unsatisfying, people are more likely to commit suicide.2. Egoistic suicide: When individual is not well integrated into community and are likely on their own, they feel a sense of futility, meaninglessness, and more of them feel that they are morally free to kill themselves.3. Altruistic suicide: When people are too well integrated into collectivity, they are likely to kill themselves because the group leads them, or even forces them, to.4. Fatalistic suicide: In situations of excessive regulation (slavery), people are often so distressed and depressed by their lack of freedom that they take their lives more frequently than otherwise. Two types of positive solidarity (qualities)1. The first unites the individual directly to society, without a middle man. In the second one, the individual depends on the society for the elements which compose it.2. The first Society is more or less organized by feelings and beliefs that collectivity has. In the second society, a system with plenty of different tasks holds society together. Although both societies exist in the same reality, it is necessary to distinguish them.3. In the first one, collective conscience must be stronger than the ideas of the individual. This solidarity must only grow in inverse relation to personality (If personality, which defines us as individuals, grows, the collective conscience is reduced). In the case of the second, ideas that distinguish the individual make the division of labor possible and at the same time strengthens collective mobility because for society to grow, all its members are needed. Strength of social bonds:1. Relation of volume of collective conscience and the individual. It is stronger in the second society.2. The intensity of the collective conscience. 3. As beliefs and common practices are more defined, there is less space for the individual to emerge. If beliefs, laws, and practices are less defined and unintelligible, there is more room for individual thought.